A man prays at the bedside of his wife, who is intubated and remains critically-ill after a COVID infection in the South Seven Intensive Care Unit.
All of the beds in the nine Minnesota hospital systems are full, doctors and nurses are demoralized, and their ability to provide care is in danger, according to a joint letter published on Sunday.
We're overwhelmed, we're devastated. They wrote in the letter that the situation was critical. It was signed by executives from Allina Health, Children's Minnesota, CentraCare, Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, HealthPartners, and North Memorial Health.
Minnesota has the third-highest rate of new daily COVID-19 infections in the US, with 76 cases per 100,000 people. The last two weeks have seen a 24 percent rise in cases. Only 64 percent of the North Star State is fully vaccine free, and test positivity is over 11 percent.
The seven-day average for hospitalizations is over 1,770, which is a new record for the year. The state's all-time record for hospitalizations was set in December. According to the Star Tribune, only 13 of the state's 1,012 staffed adult intensive care beds were available on Friday.
"Our emergency departments are overfilled, and we have patients in every bed in our hospitals," the health systems' letter said. They warn that the crush has threatened other care, including for heart attacks, car accidents, stroke, cancer, and appendixicitis.
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The spread should be stopped.
How can we stand by and watch people die when a simple shot could save their lives? The access to health care is in danger. The letter says we need to stop the spread. It ends with a plea for people to get vaccinations, wear masks, socially distance themselves, and encourage others to do the same.
Minnesota is not the only state that is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. With the end-of-year holidays, states throughout the Midwest and Northeast are expected to see a rise in numbers. The National Guard has been called in to help ease the patient load in at least four states.
There have been over 100,000 new daily cases in the country over the last two weeks. The number of hospitalizations is increasing by 23 percent from two weeks ago. The US is close to 50 million cases of COVID-19 and 800,000 deaths.
The majority of the cases in the US are due to the delta coronaviruses variant. The omicron variant can spread even faster and can cause more harm than good, so experts are watching it closely. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people aged 16 and older to get a booster dose of the vaccine.
